Browse the corpus

The pudendal nerve carries motor and sensory axons from the ventral rami of the sacral spinal nerves S2-S4 (see Image. Pudendal Nerve).[1] The nerve is paired, which is found bilaterally, 1 on the left and 1 on the right side of the body. The left and right pudendal nerves give off branches, innervating regions of the rectal canal, anus, perineum, and external genitalia. Interestingly, due to the regions it innervates, the nerve’s name is originally derived from the Latin word “pudendum." The nerve is important for carrying sensations from the clitoris and penis, labia minora, vaginal vestibule, the lower one-fifth of the vaginal canal, and the posterior aspects of the labia majora and scrotum. It is involved in controlling somatic muscles involved in penile and clitoral erection and in ejaculation in males. Additionally, this nerve innervates the external anal and external urethral sphincters. Based on its location, the nerve can be susceptible to injury, most notably during childbirth. Pudendal nerve injuries can result in loss of sensation in the nerve's distribution, fecal and urinary incontinence, and sexual dysfunction.[1]